The Curious Cub
by kora22
Summary: Simba and his friends meet a cub who was kicked out of his pride. Out of fear of being judged he doesn't tell them the truth. Can this cub overcome his fear of being judged?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm like a story machine right now. Here's the next installment, _The Curious Cub! _Enjoy your two chapters!**

* * *

**Chapter One: The Cub**

Chumvi wasn't wanted. It was as simple as that. He had been kicked out of his pride for being different, different in a way that wasn't his fault. He didn't ask for the magical power he possessed... But his pride had always been that way. Anyone who was out of the ordinary was shunned by everyone, and his parents were some of the one's that took that tradition seriously. He didn't care. He didn't want to be anywhere he wasn't wanted.

He had been walking for days now. He had managed to find a little water, but he hadn't eaten at all. It was beginning to take it's toll on him. He was weak from hunger and was now forcing himself to walk. He knew that if he stopped, he wouldn't want to get back up. He now found himself in a very dry, barren area. There seemed to be no life anywhere in it.

_I need to keep moving. _He thought to himself. _I have to be getting close to a pride by now. I don't know how much longer I can survive out here... _He noticed that the sun was starting to peek over the horizon. He knew it wouldn't be long before it got hot out. Another day of blazing heat wasn't something he could endure, not in his current state.

Chumvi continued walking for hours. The sun was soon high above him, making it difficult for him to carry on. This had to be the hottest place on the face of the planet. He was beginning to slow down, getting weaker and weaker. That's when he saw it ahead of him. Grassland. He just needed to push himself a little further and he's be there.

"I... Have to... Make it..." Chumvi said to himself. Just as he reached the border, he collapsed. He couldn't go any farther. His eyes shut and he fell unconscious.

* * *

A few days had passed since Simba and his friends had encountered Wildfire, the psychotic cub who had the ability to burn anything he touched. They had broken all his legs and left him to die in the jungle. Wildfire had started a blaze in the Pridelands, but thanks to a herd of elephants, it was put out. Simba had been burned in a few places, but the burns were only a little sore now.

Simba and his friends had decided to rest in the den today, as it was too hot out for them.

"Where did Haiba go?" Kora asked as he looked around the den.

"He said something about going for a walk." Simba said, "Not sure why he'd want to in this heat."

"Hey, guys!" Haiba said as he ran into the den.

Simba and the other cubs all looked over to him. They noticed that he was carrying a cub with brown fur on his back.

"Who's that?" Kulaani asked as they all walked over to Haiba, who had set the cub down.

"I found him passed out on the border." Haiba told them. "He looks like he hasn't eaten in days."

"We need to wake him up." Nala said, "Let's get him down to the water hole and splash some water on his face."

"Forget that!" Angani exclaimed as she pushed by Nala, "Allow me." She pulled the cub up with one paw and then smacked him across the face with the other, "Hey! Wake up!" She slapped him once more.

The cub's eyes fickered open and Angani dropped him.

"W-where am I...?" He asked in a raspy voice.

"The Pridelands." Simba said, "We need to get you down to the water hole. Haiba, you carry him. Mheetu, you go get some of the lfet over antelope."

Haiba nodded and picked him up and Mheetu left to go get the food. They all left the coolness of the den and into the blazing heat of the outdoors.

* * *

Once Simba and his friends got the cub down to the water hole, they got him to drink some water. This gave the cub some strength, but he was still pretty weak.

"So," Simba said, "Who are you?"

"Chumvi..." the cub said weakly.

Mheetu then ran over with a mouth full of antelope. They had to get some food into Chumvi before he passed out again. Mheetu put the food down in front of Chumvi, who quickly ate it. It seemed to make him a bit stronger.

"What were you doing in the Outlands?" Simba asked, "That's the worst place you can be."

"Hold on." Haiba said, "Don't I get a kiss from him for saving his life?"

"Uh..." Chumvi just gave Haiba an unsure look.

"Just ignore him." Tora told Chumvi, "So, what were you doing out there?"

"I was kicked out of my pride..." Chumvi told them, "They didn't want me."

"Why not?" Simba asked.

Chumvi was afraid they were going to ask. He couldn't tell them the truth. What if they shunned him just like his pride had and chased him away... Then he wouldn't have anywhere to live.

"Uh..." Chumvi said, "I... was just seen as worthless to them. I'm not the first."

"That's not right." Nala said, "What kind of pride does that?"

"Mine." Chumvi said. He justed wanted to end the conversation before they asked any more questions, "Is it okay if I go back up to the den to take a nap? I'm still exhausted."

"Sure." Simba said, "It's too hot to be outside today anyway."

Chumvi got up to walk, but found himself too weak to move still.

"I got ya." Haiba said as he moved underneathe Chumvi and put him on his back.

Chumvi was happy that he had finally found a pride, but they could never know about his magic. He was going to make sure that was kept a secret. He wasn't going to lose another home because of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Friend Lost**

"Why did you kick Chumvi out!?" Tama yelled at the leader of her pride.

Chumvi and Tama had been best friends before he had been thrown out of the pride. The two had been practically inseparable. Now, she found out what had happened, her best friend had been kicked out of the pride.

"It needed to be done." The king said, "He was abnormal. He didn't belong here with the rest of us. Just forget about him, your life will be much better off without that misfit in it."

"No!" Tama shouted, her anger beginning to boil over, "That's where you're wrong! Who cares if he was magic!? He was my friend!"

"Tama, stop it!" Tama's mother snapped from behind her, "You don't talk to the king that way!" She was one of the ones that supported Chumvi getting exiled, believing he wasn't someone her daughter should be around... Though, she wasn't the most caring parent anyway.

"It's not my fault this bonehead can't run this pride!" Tama spat.

"One more word and you can join him!" the king yelled, "What will it be?"

Tama just glared into the kings eyes. She didn't break her gaze on him.

"Screw you." she said before turning around.

"Grt back here!" Tama's mother shouted, "No daughter of mine will be that disrespectful!"

"Then I guess I'm not your daughter!" Tama hissed before storming out of the den. She never wanted to see any of them again, including her mother. She clearly didn't want her to be happy, so why should she stay somewhere she would be miserable.

Tama started running. She ran, and ran, and ran until she was a safe distance from the pride.

"Who needs them!" she yelled as she continued walking. She sniffed the air, trying to see if she could pick up Chumvi's scent. She found it, but it was faint since it had been a few days.

"He has to be far away by now." Tama said. She wasn't worried about water, she could find enough to keep herself going, and as for food, she was good at hunting field mice, something Chumvi had never been good at. He tried using his magic to hunt, but he wasn't too good with it yet. He was getting better though.

Tama knew it was going to be a long walk, but that didn't matter to her. The only thing she cared about was finding Chumvi.

* * *

"What do you think of him?" Nala asked, referring to Chumvi as she and the others walked down to the water hole. The sun was going down, so it was a lot cooler out. They had left Chumvi in the den to sleep, he was exhausted.

"I think he's pretty cute." Haiba said, "He has a nice body."

"Not like that!" Nala exclaimed, "I mean about what he said. He sounded like he was hiding something."

"Yeah," Tora said, "He seemed pretty hesitant to answer our questions."

"Well," Simba spoke up, "he did just meet us. We'll ask again tomorrow, after he's rested."

"I still think something is up with him." Nala said, "He seems nice, but you never know..."

"I'm sure I can get him to be more open." Haiba said, "Just a little alone time with me and he'll be fine!"

"I think he'll be worse..." Tora said. "I guess all we can do is wait until he's more comfortable being here..."

"Yeah," Simba said, "let's give him some time. He'll come around. Now, let's just enjoy some time outside while it's cool out."

They all stayed down by the water hole until their parents called them back. When they got back to the den, they saw Chumvi was still in the same spot they left him, still asleep. At least that's what they thought. Chumvi was awake. Now that he had found somewhere to stay, the only thought on his mind was Tama. He was scared that he would never see his best friend ever again. It kept digging away at him, not letting him rest.

_Tama... _He thought to himself, _I miss you..._

* * *

It was now dark out. Tama had been running all day and now it was late into the night. She knew she had to find somewhere to stay for the night to keep her energy up for the next day. She looked around for anything, a tree, a cave, just somewhere she could sleep for the night. The only think around was a small cluster of rocks that formed a small shelter. It was the only thing she had.

The shelter wasn't big, but it was big enough for Tama to fit into. She lied down to try and get some sleep. Even though she was tired, she wasn't sure how well she would sleep. All she could think about was Chumvi. Her feelings for him went beyond that of being best friends. She was in love with him.

"I'll find you, Chumvi." She said to herself, "We'll never go back to that pride ever again." She wasn't even sure that Chumvi was alive. Anything could have killed him out there. She tried not to dwell on that thought. She just closed her eyes to try and get some sleep. She wanted to be up early to continue with her search.

* * *

**A/N: Well, at least someone is on Chumvi's side. Maybe Chumvi will be willing to tell them the truth eventually. Not right now of course, but can you blame him? Will Tama be able to track down Chumvi? Find out tomorrow!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Time for another chapter. What do you say to a little bit of drama?**

**ThatPersonYouMightKnow: Yeah, I don't know what sick monster would do that, especially if it involved smashing her face on a sharp rock.**

**Greg M 94: He is nice, he probably didn't feel extremely comfortable after losing his home.**

**yeti: The stories will remain pretty upbeat for now... But I'm not promising they'll stay that way...**

* * *

**Chapter Three: The Truth**

Chumvi's eyes flickered open as the sun rose on the Pridelands. It had been days since he had good night's sleep. He felt much better than he did the day before, but it still didn't get the thought of Tama out of his head.

_I should just face it, _Chumvi thought, _I'll probably never see her again..._

That thought pained him, but he knew it was likely. This was his new home, that is, if he didn't mess it up.

"Oh, you're awake." a voice said from behind him. Chumvi stood up and looked to see who it was. It was Nala.

"Oh, hi." Chumvi said. He looked around and noticed the den was empty, "Where is everybody?"

"The hunting team is out, and the king is busy." Nala said, "Everyone else is down by the water hole. Why don't you come down?"

"Uh... Sure." Chumvi said shyly. He still wasn't completely comfortable, but at least he had some place. He and Nala walked outside and started toward the water hole. She decided to try and talk to him about why he left.

"Were you being honest with us?" Nala asked him.

"About what?" Chumvi asked, not liking where this conversation was going.

"About why you left." She said, "You didn't exactly seem like you were telling the truth. Were you?"

"Uh... Of course... W-why would I lie?" Chumvi said, very unconvincingly.

"You're not a very good liar." Nala said, "What really happened? A crime? Something evil?"

"No..." Chumvi said, "Nothing like that."

"Then why can't you tell us?" Nala asked, "If you did nothing wrong, then you have nothing to worry about."

They did seem friendly enough, but did he dare risk telling them?

"Alright... It'll just be easier to show you." Chumvi said as he lifted one of his paws and aimed it at a tree. Nala just watched in shick as a blast of magic energy shot out of his paw and hit the tree, making it disappear.

"Hm..." Chumvi said, "It was supposed to blow up, but I'm not too skilled yet."

"What was that...?" Nala asked as she stared at the spot where the tree once was.

"Magic..." Chumvi said, "I was kicked out of my pride because of it. They saw me as an outsider, too different to be in the pride. There was only one cub that cared about me. My own parents even shunned me."

"You could have told us from the start." Nala said, "One of our friends, Sora, has powers of his own."

"How was I supposed to know?" Chumvi asked, "I had just been thrown out of my pride and didn't want to lose my chance here. I don't know how this pride works."

"We certainly don't target out others." She told him, "We don't care about that... You know, as long as you're not some sort of psychopathic killer."

"I'm not." Chumvi said, "So, you're sure that nobody will mind?"

"Trust me." Nala said, "You'll be fine. Now, come on. They're all down by the water hole."

* * *

Tama was on her second day in search of Chumvi. The sun wasn't even high up yet and it was starting to get hot.

"Ugh..." She said as she walked across barren land. "I hate heat... Who invented it?"

She dreaded the thought of how hot it was going to be later, but she needed to keep moving. Chumvi was out there somewhere. As she walked, she came upon a very rocky area. She saw a few lizards dart around, but nothing other than that. Until she felt a sharp pain in her back leg.

"OW!" She fell to her back and put a paw to where the pain was. That's when she saw a large black and red snake in front of her. She had never seen one like it. It had bitten her as she walked by it.

"How dare you tresssspasssss on my territory!" The snake hissed at her.

"I was just passing through!" Tama yelled, "Why did you do that!?"

"Thissss issss my home." the snake told her, "Nobody getssss by me."

"A-are you venomous?" Tama said, frightened. The last thing she needed was to be poisoned and this snake didn't exactly look like it was safe.

The snake just grinned at her. "Yessss... You will die in twenty-four hourssss, unlesss you get treatment." The snake looked around, "But that ssseemsss very unlikely."

Right as Tama lashed out at the snake with her claws, it slithered away, leaving the cub poisoned. Tama didn't know what to do. There didn't appear to be anything for miles yet. She did the only thing she could do... Fight through the pain and run. She needed to find help, otherwise she would never find Chumvi.

_I can't stop running. _ She thought to herself, _There has to be someone who can help... But I need to find a place that's suitable for anyone to live in._

She only had a day to get help. She was going to run all night long if she had to.

* * *

"So," Sora said to Chumvi as the the cubs sat by the water hole, "You're magic?"

"Yep." Chumvi answered, "You are too, aren't you?"

"No," Sora said, "Psychic. My power comes from my mind."

"At least when you're healthy." Simba said, "Your head hurts everytime you try to do anything."

"I haven't been on that treatment Rafiki gave me very long." Sora said, "He said it would take a while to work."

"You said there was one cub in your pride that cared about you." Nala said, "Who was that?"

"Tama." Chumvi told her, "She was my best friend... I can't imagine how she felt when she found out I was gone. She's nice, but when she does get angry..." He just sighed, "I just wish I could see her again..."

"Maybe you will." Nala said, "Nothing says that you won't."

"I've always worried about her." Chumvi told them, "I hope she's doing okay..."

* * *

**A/N: Uh, oh. Tama's been bitten by a venomous snake... Can she find help before it's too late? Or will she die and never see Chumvi again... Well, see you next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So... We left off with Tama poisoned. On the bright side, Chumvi was able to open up to everyone.**

**anonymous13: I'd say it's a good contrast from _The Lion King Adventures. _She isn't a magical little brat that blackmails her friends...**

**Greg M 94: No... Getiing bit by a snake in the middle of nowhere isn't good at all...**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Chumvi's True Feelings**

The sun was beginning to set, which meant the cubs would need to go back to the den soon.

"I'll be back." Chumvi said as he began walking away from the water hole.

"Where are you going?" Simba asked, "It's almost time to go in... Not that we listen half the time anyway, but you get my point."

"Just for a walk." Chumvi said, "I'll won't be long."

Chumvi just wanted some time by himself to think, to clear his head. Overall, he knew he was going to be much better off here, but there was still that part of him that was missing. Tama. Chumvi had never been completely sure of his feelings about her, but now he was... But what were the odds he would ever get to tell her? He'd be killed if he ever set a paw in that pride again.

"Why was I born with these stupid magic powers?" He asked himself angrily as he kicked a rock with his paw. "All they've brought me is misery..."

He continued to walk around the Pridelands, talking to himself the entire time.

"I never should have shown anybody..." Chumvi said, "Then, I would still be with Tama. Then we could be together." At first he thought it was amazing that he had been born with magical abilities, now, he just wished they were gone. It's not like he was good with them anyway, he always managed to screw up a spell one way or another. He had to try and move on, but he just didn't know how to... If only Tama was there, he would be able to.

He noticed that the sun was just about to disappear over the horizon. It was going to be dark soon, which meant he needed to get back. He knew it would be tough to sleep tonight, with Tama now being the only thing on his mind.

* * *

Tama had been on the move all day, now it was well into the night. There was no time for her to stop and rest, not with snake veenom starting it's attack on her. She was already beginning to feel a little sick, but nothing that was going to keep her down. If she didn't find help by sunrise, it would be too late. She would die out here and nobody would ever know.

"Gah!" She yelled as she tripped and fell to the ground. Right before she got back up, she looked at the spot on her leg where she had been bitten. The wound had gotten a lot worse. It had now swollen and looked like that it could be getting infected, not that an infection mattered if she was poisoned anyway, she just thought it made it look more unpleasant.

She stopped looking at it when she realized she needed to keep moving. Her leg was sore from the bite, but that minor detail wasn't going to stop her. She was a tough lioness cub, she could take a little pain... Venom was a completely different problem.

"Stupid snake." She said to herself as she started moving again, "I should've killed the little ba-Ack!"

She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach. It almost made her throw up, but she managed to hold it back.

_Great... _She thought to herself as she tried to gather herself, _It's getting worse. I need to hurry._

Fighting through the stomach pain, she pushed herself to run. She knew it wouldn't be long now until the poison left her completely helpless.

* * *

Just as Chumvi thought, he was unable to sleep that night. He had been awake all night, trying in vain to get some rest. He knew the sun would be up soon, so he just decided to get up. As he was walking out of the den, he accidentally stepped on Nala's tail.

"Ow!" Nala said as she woke up. She looked behind her and saw Chumvi.

"Oh, sorry." Chumvi said.

"Where are you going?" Nala yawned. "The sun isn't even up yet."

"I couldn't sleep all night anyway..." Chumvi told her, "So, I figured I might as well get up early. I'm going for another walk. You can come if you want."

Nala was wide awake now and didn't have anything else to do.

"I guess." Nala said as she stood up and streched. "I've got nothing else to do."

The two cubs left the den, being careful not to wake anybody up.

As the two walked away from Pride Rock, they decided to start of conversation, Chumvi needed to talk.

"You know," Chumvi said, "Tama always thought my magic was cool."

"You talk about her a lot." Nala told him, "You must really like her."

"Yeah." He replied, "She's my best friend."

"No," Nala said, "it's more than that I can tell. You're in love, aren't you?"

Chumvi was a little embarrassed, but he answered, "M-maybe... But it doesn't matter now. We live too far apart... I just need to accept that we'll never be together..."

* * *

Tama knew that the sun was going to come up soon, and that meant that there was little time left to get help. By this time, her back leg with the bite was now going numb, and the pain in her stomach was enough to make her just want to die, but she kept pushing. She saw that she was near a grassland. Maybe someone there could help her. She crossed the border, thinking she was going to save herself.

But then it got worse.

Tama's vision suddenly went blurry. As she stumbled around, she also threw up. She fell to the ground. The venom was beginning to take it's full effect on her. She knew she couldn't move now. The pain was unbearable, and her vision was bad. She just gave up... There was nothing she could do, except close her eyes and let the venom finish it's job.

* * *

**A/N: Oh, dear... It looks like Tama isn't going to make it. What wil happen next? Find out tomorrow in the conclusion!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Will Tama live? The answer is... Right down below in the reading. Enjoy!**

**Greg M 94: Too bad Tama and Tojo have never met in this series... Oh well, I'm sure he's getting along just fine...**

**yeti: So, you like Simba that much? Good to know...**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Finding Love**

Chumvi and Nala could now see the sun peaking over the horizon. Everybody would be getting up soon... Well, maybe except for Simba, he liked to sleep. They had walked all the way out to the border and walked along it. Just as they were getting ready to go back to Pride Rock, they saw something on the ground ahead of them.

"What's that?" Chumvi asked,

"I'm not sure." Nala said, "Let's go see."

As they got closer, it became apparent that it was another cub. It's back was to them, but they were able to see what looked like a nasty bite on it's back leg. When they got to the cub, they checked to see if they were awake.

"Hello?" Nala said as they approached. There was no response.

"Hey," Chumvi said, putting a paw on the cub, "wake up." He rolled the cub over and his eyes widened when he saw who it was.

"Tama...?" Then he started to panic, "Tama! Wake up!" Her lack of response was starting to worry him.

"This is Tama?" Nala asked, "Why isn't she waking up?"

"I don't know!" Chumvi cried, "Wait, her leg! She was bitten by something!"

Nala looked at the wound, "That's a snake bite, a bad one. We need to get her help, whatever it was that bit her was probably poisonous, and it looks infected."

Chumvi put his head down and listened for breathing. She was, but it was very faint.

"Where can we take her!?" Chumvi asked, "She isn't going to last..."

"We need to get her to Rafiki." Nala told him, "He's the only one that would have a chance at saving her now. Pick her up and follow me."

Chumvi put Tama his back and he and Nala took off in the direction of Rafiki's tree.

* * *

Nala and Chumvi were waiting outside of Rafiki's tree. Rafiki had heard them yelling for him and he had met them on the ground. He told them to wait until he was sure of Tama's condtion, and then took her up into his tree.

"She's going to die..." Chumvi said as he paced back and forth nervously, "I know it."

"We don't know that." Nala told him, "Try and relax."

Chumvi didn't appear to hear her as he continued to panic, "It's my fault... If I never had revealed I was magic, I wouldn't have been exiled, then she wouldn't have left, then she wouldn't be dying."

"You're reading too much into this." Nala said, "It isn't your fault. It just happened. Just calm down until we know how she is. Look at yourself, your shaking terribly."

They looked up at the tree and saw Rafiki come down.

"How is she!?" Chumvi exclaimed as the two ran up to Rafiki.

"If she makes it until de end of de day, she will be fine." Rafiki told them, "The poison is well into her system. She probably had another hour when you got here. I gave her something that will hopefully work against the venom. You may go up and see her if you wish."

"I'm going to get back to Pride Rock." Nala said, "I'll leave you alone to see her."

Chumvi walked over the tree and clawed his way up. He was surprised how big it was up there. He saw Tama laying in the main part of the tree. He walked over to her. She was still out. He just looked down at her. He was about to say something, but stopped when he saw her eyes open weakly.

Tama's vision was a little blurry, but she could make out who she was looking at.

"Ch... Chumvi?" She said faintly. She was still weak, and knew she would probably fall unconscious again.

"Yes." He said, "It's me. How are you feeling?"

"How do you think?" she managed a weak laugh.

"Yeah... Stupid question." Chumvi said, "I'm sorry. This is my fault."

"Stop." Tama said, "I chose to leave... You didn't do anything."

"Yes I did," He told her, "If I nev-" He was cut off by a kiss from Tama.

She had managed to lift a paw and pull his face down to her's. She held him in the kiss for a good ten seconds before stopping.

"There..." She said as Chumvi had a look of surprise on his face, "That shut you up..." She started to feel herself going unconscious again. "I'll be... Fine. Don't worry about me."

"I'm not leaving." He said, lieing down next to her, "I'll be here until you're better."

"Whatever." She said, "I..." She went unconscious again.

Chumvi just wrapped a paw around her and kissed her on the cheek and fell asleep next to her.

* * *

"Hey." Chumvi heard a voice say, "wake up. You slept all day."

He lifted his head and saw Tama standing there. She still looked weak, but at least she was able to stand. Chumvi noticed that the sun was nearly down.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?" Chumvi asked.

"Hey," she said, "I just woke up from my poison induced sickness, and I still don't feel all that peachy. Besides, sleeping in this tree made me sore."

"Well," Chumvi saod as he got up and stretched, "I found a pride. I'm living there now. I'm sure they won't object to you staying."

Tama tried to take a step, but she was too unstable.

"I'll carry you." Chumvi told her as he lifted her onto his back. "Let's go."

* * *

"Ah," Simba said as he and the others saw Chumvi approaching with Tama, "so you did find your friend."

"One more is okay, right?" Chumvi asked.

"It better be." Tama said, "I didn't traverse scorching, barren wastelands and nearly die from a snake bite for nothing."

"Well, I can't argue with that." Simba said.

"Do you feel better now, Chumvi?" Nala asked, "Can you live here without worrying?"

"Yep." Chumvi said, "I think everything will be just fine..."

"On another note," Haiba said, "it looks like I another potential date for me has joined us!"

They all just gave him blank stares.

He looked at them confused, "What?"

* * *

**A/N: Aw... Wasn't that touching? What will Chumvi and Tama add to the group. It can't _bend _their lives too much, right? Well, see you for the next story!**


End file.
